Valve.



No. 629,789. Patented Aug. 1, I899" c. n. HUNIBALL.

VALVE.

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U ITE STATES a PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES ROLAND IIONIBALL, or Livnnroonnnennnn.

VA LVE: v

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,789, dated August 1, 1899.

Application tiled October 22, 1898. Serial No. 694,294. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

- Be it known that I, CHAR-LES ROLAND HONI- BALL, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing in Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves, such as Stop-Valves, Reducing-Valves, Regulatinginvention is susceptible of a number of different applications, depending upon different ways of using the controlling cook or valve. 7 I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings, allof which are elevations in medial section.

Throughout the drawings similar parts are indicated by the same referencefigures.

Figures I and II show the valve in its simplest form, Fig. II only differing slightly from Fig. I in constructive detail. and V show the application of the valve for difierent purposes, and they only differ constructionally in the method of controlling the controlling-valve. Fig. VI showsa construction suitable for a valve of large size.

Referring in the first instance to Fig. I, l is the inlet branch, 2 is the outlet branch, 3 is the valve proper, and a is the controllingcock. The valve 3 is in the form of a flat disk and 'fits fluid-tight over the central outletport and the inlet-port, which is annular and concentric with the latter. It is guided by the stem 5 and fits freely like a piston in the bored portion 6 of the valve-box, which forms the intermediate chamber before ,referred to. The valve fits with sufficient freedom in the chamber 6 toallowa slight leakage into the space above the valve, and the pressure in this spaceis effective in operating the valve, as it is clear that the valve is urged upward by the inlet and outlet pressures acting upon their respective port-areas and downward by the pressure in the space above the valve act- Figs. III, IV, I

ing upon its whole upper surface and also by its own weight.

I have found that if the inlet and outlet ports are of equal area and the valve be off its seating,the controlling-cock 4 being closed,

the pressure in the space 6 above the valve isvery approxilnately the mean ofthe inlet and outlet pressures. Under these circumstances the valve will not remain open, and the func= tion of the small-bore controllingecock 4 is to provide anoutlet for the steam'in the chamber 6,whic h leaks past the valve, so as to reduce the pressure therein and allow the valve to remain open. v

As already stated,thc invention can be applied to a variety of purposes, depending upon the way in which the controlling-cock is controlled.

FigrI representsa stop-valve intended to be controlledby hand, the valve 3 being opened or shut by simply opening or shutting the controlling-cock i. Thedischarge from the controlling-cock may be delivered to theatmosphere'by the pipe 'i, or in order to avoid the loss of steam thecock may be turned to deliver as an alternative through the pipe 8,

which may lead,'say, to a condenser, hot-well, or as a by-pass into the outlet-passage 2, the latter arrangement being shown. As a stopvalve the arrangement possesses several advantages. In the first place very little effort willsuffice to open orshut a large valve. In

the second place the controlling-cock maybe placed in a more convenient position than the main valve and ate considerable distance therefrom,- being connected to it by a small pipe, and, further, the arrangement would act as a safety device in the event of the bursting of the pipe or vessel connected to the outlet 2, as the sudden fall of pressure therein Fig. III shows my invention arranged as a reducing-valve. The controlling-valve 4 delivers as a by -pass into the outlet 2, and it is controlled by the plunger 10, which passes through the stnfiing-box shown and is adjustably loaded by the spring 11.

The action is as follows: Suppose that both the main valve and the controlling-valve are open and that steam is entering by the inlet branch 1 and issuing at reduced pressure by the outlet branch 2, the pressure above the valve being intermediate to these pressures. The controlling-valve is urged down by the pressure in the chamber 6, and it is urged up by the outlet-pressure below it and by the plunger 10, the plunger being itself urged up by the spring 11 and down by the outlet-pressure on its uppersurface. If now the outletpressure should rise, the pressure above the plunger will increase and lower it, and the controlling-valve will follow it, as its area is less than that of the plunger. Thus the pressure in the chamber 6 will rise and the valve 3 be forced down, so diminishing the outletpressure. The converse will hold if the out let-pressure should fall, and thus the outletpressure is determined by the adjustment of the compression of the spring 11.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. IV the spring is applied directly to the controlling- Valve and the plunger is dispensed with. The spindle of the controlling-valve is guided below in the cap 12 and abuts against the adjusting-screw 13, which is normally set so as to prevent the controlling-valve from actually closing. This arrangement is chiefly intended for use in connection with a steamwinch or the like under the following circu mstances: It is found desirable in working a steam-winch to keep it continuously running, so that it runs light when not actually hoisting. The inlet 1 is connected to the boiler and the outlet 2 to the winch, and the action is as follows: When the winch is unloaded, steam of a very low pressure only is required to keep it running. Under these circumstances, the outlet-pressure (and therefore the pressure below the controlling-valve tending to open it) being low, the controllingvalve is forced down to the lowest position permitted by the screw 13, givingavery small outlet from the chamber 6, so that the pressure therein is relatively high, and the main valve 3 is forced down, so as to leave only a small thoroughfare for the outlet-steam. When the load is thrown on the winch, it suddenly slows somewhat, so that the pressure of steam in the outlet branch 2 rises, and as a result the controlling-valve is forced up, giving a freer outlet to the chamber 6 and allowing the main valve to rise and so give a larger passage to the outlet. When the load is again taken off the winch, the pressure of the outletsteam will suddenly fall, the controlling-valve will fall against its stop, and the main valve will be forced down, so as to only pass a correspondingly-reduced supply of steam to the winch. In this way the device automatically adjusts the steam-supply to 'the requirements of the winch and dispenses with the necessity of adjusting the supply by hand.

The arrangement shown in Fig. V constitutes a feed-water regulating or check valve. 14 is, say, anevaporator or the like, and 15 is the normal water-level therein. The feedwater enters by the inlet branch 1, passes the main valve 3, and proceeds by the outlet branch 2 and a pipe (not shown) to the evaporator 14, and the controlling-valve 4 delivers to the same place, so that itforms, as before, a by-pass to the outlet branch. The controlling-valve is controlled by the floatlever 16, and it is clear from what has already been said that the supply of feed-water will be automatically controlled ,so as to maintain a practically constant water-level.

In Fig. VI is shown what may be termed a relay arrangement, in which a large main valve 3 is controlled by a comparatively very small controlling-valve 4:. As before, 1 is the inlet branch, 2 the outlet branch, and t the intermediate chamber. The discharge from the chamber 6 is controlled by the valve 3' of the (same type as 3, and the discharge from its chamber 6 is in turn controlled by the controlling-valve 4.. No special means are shown for controlling the valve 4, as it is to be understood that the arrangement shown in Fig. VI is merely a variation that may be adopted in the case of any of the previous arrangements when used on a large scale, and any of the previous methods of controlling the valve 4 may therefore be used.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a valve, in combination: a box having an inlet and an outlet connected to separate ports, and a chamber above said ports; avalve working freely in the said chamber and adapted to cover both said ports, the space in said chamber above the valve being in communication with the inlet; a passage leading from said chamber; and a cook or valve adapted to control said passage; substantially as de scribed and illustrated.

2. In a valve, in combination: a box having an inlet and an outlet connected to separate ports, and a chamber above the said ports; a valve working freely in the said chamber and adapted to cover both said ports, the space in said chamber above the valve being in communication with the inlet; a passage connecting the said chamber to the outlet; and a cook 01'. valve adapted to control the said passage;

.substantially as described and illustrated.

3. In a Valve, in combination a box having an inlet and an outlet connected to separate ports, and a chamber above the said ports; a valve working freely in the said chamber and adapted to cover both said ports, the space in said chamber above the valve being in communication with the inlet; a passage connect in g the said chamber to the outlet and a valve which normally tends to close the said passage when there is a difierence of pressure between the chamber and the outlet; substantially as described and illustrated.

4. In a valve, in combination a box having an inlet and an outlet connected to separate ports, and a chamber above the said ports; a valve working freely in the chamber and adapted to cover both said ports; a passage connecting the said chamber to the outlet; and a valve controlling said passage and normally tending to close it whenthere is a difference of pressure between the chamber and the outlet, and controlled by means adapted to open the valve in opposition to such difference of pressure; substantially as described and illustrated.

'5. In a valve, in combination: a box having an inlet and an outlet connected to separate ports, and a chamber above said ports a valve working freely in said chamber and adapted to cover both said ports; a passage connecting said chamber to the outlet; and a valve controlling the said passage normally maintained open by an adjustable spiral spring, but which is closed when the difference of pressure on the chamber and outlet sides of the valve is sufficient to overcome the resistance of the spring; substantially as described and illustrated.

6. In a valve, in combination; a box having an inlet and an outlet connected to separate ports, and a chamber above saidports; a valve working freely in said chamber and adapted to cover both said ports; a passage connecting said chamber to the outlet; and a valve controlling the said passage and normally maintained open by a plunger actuated by a spiral spring and whose end is subjected to the pressure of the outlet which tends to compress the said spring; substantially as described and illustrated. t

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my'hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES ROLAND HONIBALL.

\Vitnesses:

ROBERT A. SLOAN, J. E. LLOYD BARNEs. 

